SCHEDULING GUIDING PRINCIPLES

CEC will use the following guiding principles when creating the schedule for a competition season. These are not specific rules or policies; rather, these are the guidelines that CEC will endeavour to satisfy when crafting a competition schedule. In some cases, it will be impossible to satisfy all of the guiding principles. Should that occur, CEC will endeavour to strike a reasonable balance between the guiding principles.

Integration with International Sport Climbing

To ensure alignment with the International Federation, CEC will endeavour to

  • align with the IFSC schedule and requirements
  • align with the Olympic format and cycle:
    • Paris 2024: Boulder & Lead (Combined) and Speed
    • LA 2028: TBD (hoping for all 3 disciplines)

Accessibility and Opportunity

To enable athletes across Canada in all categories to flourish, CEC will endeavour to

  • offer opportunities in all three disciplines (Boulder, Lead, and Speed)
  • offer national opportunities for Youth B, Youth A, Junior, and Senior
  • offer regional opportunities for Youth C, Youth B, and Youth A
  • support the development and growth of climbing in all Canadian markets
  • keep events accessible, including by alternating Nationals between East and West

Athlete-Centered

To provide athletes with the best possible competition experience, CEC will endeavour to

  • minimize travel requirements
  • provide adequate lead time for travel bookings
  • minimize competition costs to athletes
  • provide a selection process for the High Performance Program and Youth World Championships
  • avoid holding competitions on weekdays when possible

Follow Long Term Development (LTD) Principles

In support of appropriate and effective long-term development of our athletes, we will endeavour to

  • encourage and support participation of athletes across all three disciplines until athletes reach the Senior level, recognizing that climbing is a late-specialization sport
  • ensure competitions are planned and run with the specific athlete audience in mind based on the long-term development pathway
  • support athletes’ periodization of training vs. competition ratio

Partnership with Event Hosts

Recognizing the importance of Event Hosts to a successful competition season, CEC will endeavour to:

  • minimize expenses to Event Hosts
  • minimize logistic requirements for Event Hosts
  • maximize potential revenue through public and local grants
  • work with Event Hosts to support growth of Canadian climbing facilities
  • avoid scheduling competitions in busier and more profitable times of year

Support for CEC Members and Stakeholders

To provide support and clarity to all our stakeholders, CEC will endeavour to

  • schedule events two years in advance
  • listen to stakeholder inpu
  • support selection process with clear qualification pathways
  • support innovative ideas and solutions